The+Research+Project

Topic
toc The Research Portfolio is a structured collection of the research and analysis that students compile in their investigation. The components of the portfolio guide and archive the student’s work in a way that teaches them key critical thinking, academic habits and organizational skills. By the end of the unit, students will have an organized structured set of sources, annotations, notes, and analysis from which they can successfully accomplish any purpose they may have for their newly developed evidence-based perspective, whether that be an academic research paper or the construction of a product or process plan.
 * The Research Portfolio **

Common Core Standards

 * W4:** Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
 * W7:** Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
 * W8:** Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism.
 * W9:** Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research
 * R1:** Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
 * R2:** Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.
 * SL1:** Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

Suggested Student Objectives
This unit develops that explorative proficiency: researching to deepen understanding. It lays out a process through which students learn to explore topics with their learning community, posing and refining questions and listening to experiences, and discovering areas they wish to investigate. It develops their ability to determine what they don’t know or understand, and where and how to find that information. The unit also develops and supports student ability to archive and organize information in order to see and analyze connections in ways that aid comprehension, deepen their understanding and prepare them to express their evolving perspective.

Activities
**Part 1** introduces students to the idea of researching to deepen understanding and immerses students in a collaborative process for exploring a topic, choosing an area of investigation, and developing a detailed frame for their research plan. **Part 2** addresses essential skills for conducting searches for information based on inquiry questions. Skills such as searching for, annotating and making notes on sources needed to answer inquiry questions introduced here will be developed throughout the remainder of the unit. **Part 3** focuses students on the strategic close reading and evidence-based claim making skills for analyzing key sources in order to develop a deeper and comprehensive understanding of their areas of investigation. In **Part 4**, they review and evaluate their materials and analysis, refining their inquiry questions and extending their research where necessary— returning to the skills introduced in Parts 2 and 3. **Part 5** supports students in organizing their research and synthesizing their analysis in order to develop an evidence-based perspective of their areas of investigation. Students can use this perspective and Research Portfolio for creating a range of final products. = =

Resource Links
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Suggested Research Topics
// The teacher is NOT limited to the following research topics. These topics are suggested as a humanities framework. Students may choose ONE of the topics for their personal portfolio or the teacher may wish to assign ONE topic to an entire class; or the teacher may choose to utilize other topics completely. // >
 * 1) The early Middle Ages have often been called __the Dark Ages__ by historians. Research one area of the globe and at least two (2) works of literature from that era. Write a two - three page paper in which you **argue the appropriateness** **of the expression "dark ages"** as described during the Anglo-Saxon period. In your paper you MUST discuss how "dark" applied to the social, political, economic, artistic, intellectual and religious circumstances. Include the two works of literature as supporting documentation for your central argument or thesis.
 * 2) Writers often explore different attitudes toward __suffering and death__ in their writing. For example, in medieval times, writers often used Death as a character in tales or plays. Choose at least three (3) selections by different authors and analyze their approaches to the subject. Discuss the differences and similarities in the way Death is presented. Determine the mood of each selection and contrasts the moods of the differing treatments of suffering or death. Write a two - three page paper in which you **argue how the concept of death influences humans interaction with each other and the environment**. In your paper you MUST discuss the social, political, economic, artistic, intellectual and religious circumstances. Include the three works of literature as supporting documentation for your central argument or thesis.
 * 3) Different writers have different ideas about __the meaning of love__ and how it works as a force in the world. The word friendship can mean anything from a casual acquaintanceship to a relationship of mutual respect and understanding. Friendships of all sorts appear in literature. Romantic love is, perhaps, the commonest theme of all. Choose at least two (2) works of literature, either by the same author or three different authors, and discuss what you consider to be the most interesting example of friendship and the most interesting example of love. Analyze the techniques the writer uses to convey his or her view of love. Write a two-three page paper in which you **argue how the concept of love has changed over time from the Medieval Period to the Present.** Include the two works of literature as supporting documentation of your central argument or thesis.
 * 4) A controversial problem explored over the ages by both poets and philosophers is that of __individual free will versus fate__. Are fate and free will mutually exclusive? Do they exist independent of one another? Choose at least two (2) pieces of literature where the writer explores this problem and discuss the writers approach to either. Write a two-three page paper in which you **argue whether you believe it is possible to overcome one's fate through the use of free will.** Include the two works of literature as supporting documentation of your central argument or thesis.
 * 5) In literature, the hero's journey always includes __the path to self-knowledge__. In many instances, the character must learn the consequences of Hubris; others might deal with pessimism, greed, humility, or self-loathing. What character traits are significant in the human quest for self-knowledge? How do these or other character traits impact our quest for self-knowledge? Choose two (2) works of literature in which a character learns about himself or herself. Write a two-three page paper in which you **argue how a particular character trait or traits enhance or hinder the quest for self-knowledge.** Include the two works of literature as supporting documentation of your central argument or thesis.

Assessments

 * Students will work within the Research Portfolio to complete assessments throughout the research process.
 * The teacher may choose to have students complete an academic paper, an artistic rendition, a creative writing piece or some other creative outlet to differentiate assessment.